THE cobbles of Guildford High Street, the village green in Windlesham and a Farncombe church were among the many locations across the county that staged pancake races on Tuesday.

Pancake flippers and tossers raised money for worthwhile causes including Staines Shopmobility and Brownies groups in Elstead, near Cranleigh.

The torrential rain did nothing to dampen spirits in Farncombe, with organisers moving their event from the gardens of St John the Evangelist to inside the church.

Dozens of children raced from the font up the aisle and they all received a certificate and a Fairtrade chocolate bar for taking part. There were also town council and clergy races.

Fancy dress pancake racers were out in Staines again for the town’s fourth annual charity event, with the money going towards Staines Shopmobility.

And lined up under the shelter of Peacock Walk, in Woking town centre, eager racers also flipped pancakes in aid of Woking Shopmobility.

Those taking part included local children, groups from Foxhills, Horsell Lodge and Fidessa, borough councillors, the Wolsey Place security team and students from St John the Baptist School.

Woking FC's cheeky KC Kat once again stole the show in the mascot race, beating Victor the Mouse from the Ambassadors Theatre and Stanley the Tiger, the town centre mascot.

In Guildford town centre, four intrepid Surrey Advertiser reporters took part in the pancake race held along 30m of the cobbled High Street.

First-leg runner Vita Millers fell over just as the starting horn was sounded by MP Anne Milton, but the team were then put in the lead by Richard Pain and Emily Harman before Eagle Radio and the Mandolay Hotel overtook last man Paul McManus to leave them in third place.

The Denbies Pancake Relay Race at the vineyard in Dorking was held in aid of the East Surrey Branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

The event was moved indoors because of the weather, with six teams of runners negotiating an obstacle course of chairs while tossing their pancakes.

The winners of the race were the Highways Agency team, a significant improvement on their wooden spoon showing last year.

Meanwhile, the elderly residents of Priors Mead retirement home in Reigate opted to tuck into their pancakes rather than try racing with them.

There were also events over the weekend, with more than 50 children taking part in races at Windlesham’s Field of Remembrance.

Jo Wilkins, head of children and families work at St John’s Church, said: “The annual pancake races have been a feature of the Windlesham calendar since 1978 when Trish Worthy of the then Parkside Playgroup decided to organise the first event.”

Elstead’s annual village pancake races were held on Saturday, with £500 raised in sponsorship being split between the village’s youth centre Brownies.

And Epsom College staged its event a week early due to the half-term break, the Gap students triumphing over the catering and accounts departments in the staff race.

Also held a week early was the Frying Pan Trophy race at St John's School in Leatherhead, won jointly by Churchill and East houses.